Monday, August 16, 2010

Jatujak Market, Part 3: Pets vs Wildlife

As mentioned in the introduction to Jatujak/Chatuchak weekend market almost everything you can imagine, a lot you can’t and some things you probably shouldn’t are all available for purchase there; and that includes traditional pets, creatures that belong in a zoo where skilled handlers can care for them and - if you know where to look - things that would be better left unmolested to fight extinction on their own in the wild.

National Geographic did an interesting article on this in their January 2010 issue called "Asia's Wildlife Trade" that's worth a read. In it you'll find mention of Jatujak Market and some cute little fur balls known as slow lori they claim sell in Japan and Russia for the equivalent of $1,000USD. Exotic pets just never made sense to me; bringing a crocodile home never seemed like a wise idea.

Five good reasons not to keep pet crocodiles at home

I've found myself off the beaten track in Jatujak and seen the rings where cock fights are held amid the exuberant shouts of those there betting on them while they slash away at each other, but let's address the grey areas another day, shall we?

There's an enormous section of fish, aquariums and supplies at Jatujak - the largest of all the pet areas by far, by my "guesstimate". Rows of relatively permanent stalls lined with tanks, some specializing in a specific type of fish, such as fantail goldfish or what we in the US would call "Siamese" fighting fish - although it didn't occur to me to ask what the Siamese call them!

One shop had nothing but baby geese, chickens, ducks and the likes...

There are also many, many places to buy reptiles of all stripes (and scales) - and puppies by the dozen. It's a fascinating menagerie - somewhat like taking a stroll through Noah's ark - and we'll take another look at it soon.

The Standard Legalese

I've been advised to place this notice, so here goes:

"The copyrights for the contents of this blog - both written words and photographs - are held by the author, unless otherwise noted. Permission to reprint or reproduce any content published here in any other format or form must be granted by the owner previous to use or publication."